Q1: Retailing appliances has many pain points where customers go through a process of information search, face-to-face inquiry, product demo, delivery and after sales. How is Abenson addressing customer irritants and annoyances? ​At ABENSON, our mission is to bring the ‘Good Life’ to every Filipino Home. In our 45 year history we have seen how differently our customers’ priorities have […]
Q&A
Q1: When you were still with P&G Philippines and Singapore, you helped Pampers defend against EQ diapers, regaining leadership in 2003. You also found yourself doing the same for Whisper when you turned it around to win against Modess. What were your strategies then? When does a brand decide to defend or not to defend? A brand’s decision to defend […]
Q1: McDonald’s started the fastfood trend worldwide with the insight “people don’t dine, they eat and run.” They created many firsts which are now standard in fast food. What are firsts that McDonald’s has launched in the Philippines? Innovation and relevance are important for McDonald’s to stay on top of a fast-paced industry. Here in the Philippines, McDonald’s introduced the […]
Q1: I met you close to 25 years ago when you were country manager of Pioneer Hybrid Corn in the Philippines. Now you are Asia Pacific Corn Marketing Head for Syngenta, a merger of the agro division of Novartis and Zeneca. As a veteran in this field, can you share the highlights and developments that has changed the way business […]
Q1: You introduced two new product categories in the Philippines, Green Cross Rubbing Alcohol in 1952 and Zonrox Bleach in 1954. They are popular products now. What made you think there would be a big market for those products in the 1950s? Back the 1950s, I knew there would be a big market for alcohol because of my experience at […]
Q1: The unserved market of non-motel (or drive-in hotel) goers is much, much bigger than the motel goers. You have since expanded your target group to include the party market. What was the insight that led you to this new market segment? Party segment has evolved from guests’ requests. It started from guests asking for rooms they can use for […]
Q1: Can you describe what the Uniqlo brand is all about? Other than being of Japanese origin, how different or similar is it with say Giordano or Gap in terms of fashion or customer base? We consider UNIQLO as LifeWear, which means UNIQLO is complete when it is worn and become a part of our customers’ Life. We are not […]
Q1. You have different pizza brands – Jimini Whole Pizza for kids, Pizza Pedricos for sharing with barkada or family, and Santino’s Supreme Slice, a grab & go slice pizza brand for the budget-conscious & time-starved individuals. What were the opportunities you saw or the insights you uncovered that led to the development of each of these brands? We started […]
Q1: Before your retirement, you were associated with having mastery of the ‘masa’ market with strong gut feel but based on consumer pulse. Jollibee, Lucky Me! are just some local brands you handled that grew so big. What traits do you think you have that made you a specialist for the ‘masa’? I am masa. I lived masa. It’s my […]
Q1: What is the most often overlooked aspect of shopper marketing which should be very basic to all? Great shopper marketing starts with great shopper insight. Shopper marketing is marketing. Insight drives actions and solutions. Neuroscience proved that 99% of what we do are driven by subconscious behavior or what we usually call habit. People more or less buy the […]